In stylistic terms, and from the viewer's perspective, conventional analogue television programming is inflexible. The viewer may watch a variety of channels, each having fixed shows. However the content available to the viewer is limited, at any point in time to the preestablished real time broadcast.
Digital television broadcasting and the Internet have introduced the systems and methods by which a viewer may interact with information and entertainment services which are delivered to the home. Because digital information is easier to store and manipulate than analogue information, digital televisions and peripheral devices are known to incorporate memory and microprocessor capability for the purpose of allowing the viewer to review, zoom, and show multiple channels simultaneously.
Digital networks such as the Internet allow a viewer to request information independently of the requests made by other viewers. Some Internet information is broadcast in real time. However, because the bandwidth of the Internet is severely limited (for most users), real time broadcasting of voluminous data such as television quality video is not an option yet. Streaming and buffering techniques give the illusion of continuous broadcasts in a low bandwidth environment. Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.